BOSTON â Tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients lost their state-funded health care coverage last month amid an ongoing review of eligibility following the end of pandemic-related federal protections. Health officials, however, say the purge of insured is slowing.
About 57,000 MassHealth members lost coverage in January as part of the so-called redetermination process, according to state data published Monday.
That was offset by 21,000 new enrollees and 23,000 people who rejoined the taxpayer-funded health insurance program after previously losing coverage, according to the agency. Thatâs still a net decrease of 13,000 or more members.
âAfter some very steep declines in November and December that were related to the open enrollment period, things have quieted down considerably,â Assistant Secretary for MassHealth Mike Levine told reporters during a livestreamed update. âSo the caseload is relatively flat through the first month of the year.â
In December, by comparison, at least 129,000 people were removed from MassHealthâs rolls, the data shows. Those losses were offset by 16,000 new enrollees and 12,000 people who rejoined the program after losing coverage, according to the agency. Thatâs a net loss of about 100,000 people for the month.
âI do expect our caseload to continue declining,â he said. âThere are still people whose eligibility weâve been protecting and we need to renew, many of whom may lose coverage. But we expected a steadier decline through the remainder of the redetermination process.â
As of January, nearly 600,000 people have left MassHealthâs rolls. The agency began reviewing eligibility in April. But the reductions were offset by new enrollees and those who rejoined the program after losing coverage for a net decline of 279,000 members.
State health officials said data shows that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, MassHealth was averaging a loss of about 52,000 members each month.
Under the COVID-19 public health emergency, the federal government required state Medicaid agencies to provide âcontinuousâ health care coverage, even if an individualâs income eligibility changed.
As a result, enrollment in MassHealth â the stateâs Medicaid program â swelled by more than 31% since 2000, to an estimated 2.3 million recipients.
But the federal emergency declaration expired last May and state health officials have been reviewing eligibility for enrollees to determine if they are still eligible for state-subsidized coverage.
The review process could see up to 400,000 people dropped from the program, according to the stateâs estimates.
Gov. Maura Healey has acknowledged the challenge of reviewing millions of MassHealth recipients, and helping those who get dropped to find new coverage. State budget officials expect the shrinking MassHealth rolls will provide up to $1.9 billion this fiscal year that could be redirected for other purposes.
Nationwide, roughly 15 million people could be dropped from Medicaid as the federal governmentâs continuous coverage requirement is phased out.
MassHealth is funded by the state and federal governments and serves about 2.1 million low-income recipients. Thatâs roughly one in three people in the state.
Health care coverage is one of the stateâs biggest expenses. Medicaid costs have doubled in the past decade and now account for nearly 40% of spending.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at [email protected].
By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter
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